{{Short description|Royal Air Force Air Vice-Marshal (1879-1956)}} {{distinguish|text=other people called [[Thomas Bowen (disambiguation)|Thomas Bowen]]}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2024}}{{Infobox military person |honorific_prefix= [[Sir]] |name= Tom Webb-Bowen |birth_name= Tom Ince Webb-Bowen |image= |image_size= |alt= |caption= |nickname= |birth_date= {{birth date|1879|01|17|df=yes}} |birth_place= |death_date= {{death date and age|1956|10|29|1879|01|17|df=yes}} |death_place= |burial_place= |allegiance= United Kingdom |branch= [[British Army]] (1899–1918)<br/>[[Royal Air Force]] (1918–1941) |service_years= 1899–1933<br/>1939–1941 |rank= [[Air Vice-Marshal]] |service_number= |unit= |commands= Wessex Bombing Area (1931–1933)<br/>[[Air Member for Personnel]] (1930–1931)<br/>[[RAF Middle East Command|RAF Middle East]] (1926–1929)<br/>Inland Area (1924–1926)<br/>[[No. 3 Group RAF|No. 3 Group]] (1923–1924)<br/>[[Indian Air Force|RAF India]] (1920–22)<br/>South Eastern Area (1919)<br/>II Brigade RFC (1916–1917, 1918–1919)<br/>VII Brigade RFC (1917–1918)<br/>[[No. 3 Wing RAF|No. 3 Wing RFC]] (1915–1916)<br/>[[No. 2 Squadron RAF|No. 2 Squadron]] (1915) |battles= [[First World War]]<br/>[[Second World War]] |awards= [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]] (3)<br/>[[Order of Saint Anna|Order of Saint Anna, 3rd Class with Swords]] (Russia)<br/>[[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Officer of the Order of Leopold]] (Belgium)<br/>[[Officer of the Legion of Honour]] (France)<br/>[[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)|Croix de guerre]] (France)<br/>[[Military Order of Savoy|Officer of the Military Order of Savoy]] (Italy) |relations= |other_work= }} [[Air Vice-Marshal]] '''Sir Tom Ince Webb-Bowen''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KCB|CMG|DL}} (17 January 1879 – 29 October 1956) was a senior commander in the [[Royal Air Force]] during the first half of the 20th century.
==Early life== Tom Ince Webb-Bowen was born on 17 January 1879, the son of Thomas Ince Webb-Bowen (senior) who served as the Chief Constable of [[Pembrokeshire Police]] from 1 January 1879 to 1 December 1906.
==RAF career== Webb-Bowen was initially commissioned into a militia battalion of the [[Middlesex Regiment]], later got a regular army commission into the [[Bedfordshire Regiment]] and was appointed the Adjutant of the Madras Volunteer Corps while serving in India.<ref name=air>[https://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Webb-Bowen.htm Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Vice-Marshal Sir Tom Webb-Bowen]</ref> Finding himself unsuited to regimental life, Webb-Bowen learnt to fly in 1912.<ref name=air/> After several weeks as a [[Royal Flying Corps]] flight commander, he was posted to the [[Central Flying School]] as an instructor where he later served as the Assistant Commandant.<ref name=air/>
In March 1915 Major Webb-Bowen took over command of [[No. 2 Squadron RAF|No. 2 Squadron]]<ref name=air/> while the squadron was located at Merville, France. During his short tenure there were two significant events. Firstly, because of the difficulty suffered by ground troops in communicating their advance to higher command, a technique was developed whereby troops on the ground could convey their position by laying strips of white cloth on the ground. (These strips are referred to as "Popham strips" in a novel,<ref>"C", Tom McCarthy</ref> and Webb-Bowen's predecessor was [[Robert Brooke-Popham]].) Aircraft from No. 2 Squadron would then relay by WT the co-ordinates noted. The second and more historically significant event was the award of the first [[Victoria Cross]] awarded for bravery in the air, to Lieutenant [[William Rhodes-Moorhouse]]. Major Webb-Bowen handed over command to Major Becke in June 1915 following his posting to Home Establishment. He continued his war service commanding No. 3 Wing RFC from May 1915, and then as Brigadier-General Commanding first II Brigade RFC, then VII Brigade RFC and then II Brigade RFC again.<ref name=air/> He commanded these brigades in France and Italy.<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1934/1934%20-%200443.html A Reunion Dinner] Flight International, 3 May 1934</ref>
After the war he was appointed Air Officer Commanding South Eastern Area and then Air Officer Commanding [[RAF India]].<ref name=air/> He was appointed Air Officer Commanding [[No. 3 Group RAF|No. 3 Group]] in 1923, Air Officer Commanding Inland Area in 1924<ref>[http://www.battleofbritain1940.net/document-16.html Battle of Britain – 1940]</ref> and Air Officer Commanding [[RAF Middle East Command|Middle East Command]] in 1925.<ref name=air/> He then went on to be [[Air Member for Personnel]] in 1930 and Air Officer Commanding Wessex Bombing Area in 1931 before retiring on 26 September 1933.<ref name=air/>
He was recalled during the [[Second World War]] to be Duty Air Commodore in the Operations Room at Headquarters [[RAF Fighter Command|Fighter Command]].<ref name=air/>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard|Hugh Trenchard]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Assistant Commandant of the [[Central Flying School]]| years=7 August 1914 – 8 March 1915}} {{s-aft|after=[[Duncan Pitcher]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[George William Patrick Dawes|George Dawes]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Officer Commanding [[No. 2 Squadron RAF|No. 2 Squadron]]|years=8 March – 27 May 1915}} {{s-aft|after=[[John Becke]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Robert Brooke-Popham]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Officer Commanding [[No. 3 Wing RAF|No. 3 Wing]]|years=27 May – 2 June 1915}} {{s-aft|after=[[John Frederick Andrews Higgins|John Higgins]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[John Salmond]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Brigadier-General Commanding [[II Brigade RFC]]| years=1916–1917}} {{s-aft|after=[[John Becke]]}} |- {{s-new|reason=Brigade established}} {{s-ttl|title=Brigadier-General Commanding [[VII Brigade RFC]]| years=1917–1918}} {{s-non|reason=Brigade disbanded<br/><small>Title next held by [[Charles Laverock Lambe|Charles Lambe]] in 1918</small>}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[John Becke]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Brigadier-General Commanding [[II Brigade RFC]]| years=1918}} {{s-non|reason=Brigade disbanded}} |- {{s-new|reason=Formed from Indian Group}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Air Officer Commanding]] [[RAF India]]|years=1920–1922}} {{s-aft|after=[[Philip Game]]}} |- {{s-vac|last=[[Arthur Longmore]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Air Officer Commanding [[No. 3 Group RAF|No. 3 Group]]|years=1923–1924}} {{s-aft|after=[[Lionel Charlton]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Oliver Swann]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Air Officer Commanding [[RAF Middle East Command|RAF Middle East]]|years=1926–1929}} {{s-aft|after=[[Francis Scarlett (RAF officer)|Francis Scarlett]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[John Salmond|Sir John Salmond]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Air Member for Personnel]]|years=1930–1931}} {{s-aft|after=[[Edward Ellington|Sir Edward Ellington]]}} {{s-end}}
{{Chief_of_the_Air_Staff_(India)}} {{RAF generals}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb-Bowen, Tom}} [[Category:1879 births]] [[Category:1956 deaths]] [[Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]] [[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]] [[Category:Officers of the Military Order of Savoy]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class]] [[Category:British recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)]] [[Category:Officers of the Legion of Honour]] [[Category:Deputy lieutenants of Pembrokeshire]] [[Category:High sheriffs of Pembrokeshire]] [[Category:Royal Air Force generals of World War I]] [[Category:Royal Air Force air vice-marshals]] [[Category:Middlesex Regiment officers]] [[Category:Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment officers]] [[Category:Royal Flying Corps officers]] [[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]